National Parks (Complete List)
Forest & Wildlife · राष्ट्रीय उद्यान (पूरी सूची) · 18 facts
India has 106 National Parks (as of 2023) covering approximately 44,378 sq km (about 1.35% of India's geographic area).
Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand): India's first national park, established in 1936 as Hailey NP; known for tigers and elephants; most visited NP.
Kaziranga National Park (Assam): UNESCO World Heritage Site; famous for one-horned rhinoceros (2600+); also has tigers, elephants, wild buffalo, swamp deer.
Sundarbans National Park (West Bengal): UNESCO World Heritage Site; world's largest mangrove forest; home to Bengal tigers (Royal Bengal Tiger), saltwater crocodiles.
Gir National Park (Gujarat): Only home of Asiatic Lion; 674 lions (2020 census); also called Sasan Gir; Gir Wildlife Division.
Ranthambore National Park (Rajasthan): Famous for tigers; in Sawai Madhopur; tigers here are among the most photographed in the world.
Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh): Famous for tigers and barasingha (swamp deer); inspired Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book'.
Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh): Has the highest density of tigers in India; famous for white tigers historically; part of Umaria district.
Valley of Flowers National Park (Uttarakhand): UNESCO World Heritage Site; famous for alpine flowers; in Chamoli district, part of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
Hemis National Park (Ladakh): Largest National Park in India by area (4400 sq km); known for snow leopards; trans-Himalayan region.
Namdapha National Park (Arunachal Pradesh): Only park with all 4 big cats — tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard; located in Changlang district.
Pench National Park (MP/Maharashtra border): Famous for tigers; partly in both states; Kipling's inspiration for Jungle Book characters Mowgli and Shere Khan.
Manas National Park (Assam): UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve; known for pygmy hog, golden langur, Assam roofed turtle, tiger, rhinoceros.
Eravikulam National Park (Kerala): Nilgiri Tahr habitat; Western Ghats; Anamudi peak (highest in South India) is here; grassland ecosystem.
Silent Valley National Park (Kerala): Pristine tropical rainforest; 'Silent' because no crickets; Lion-tailed Macaque; saved from dam project (1980).
Keoladeo Ghana (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary), Rajasthan: UNESCO World Heritage Site; formerly royal hunting ground; wintering ground for migratory birds.
India's newest National Parks: Ramgarh Vishdhari (Rajasthan, 2021), Similipal (Odisha, upgraded 2022), Guru Ghasidas (Chhattisgarh, 2021).
Difference between NP and Wildlife Sanctuary: NP has highest protection (no human activity, even grazing); WLS allows some human activities like grazing, collection.